


Pulling Rank

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s01e112 To Kill the King, M/M, Plot What Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-08
Updated: 2008-12-08
Packaged: 2017-10-02 19:34:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account





	Pulling Rank

"He killed Gwen's father, and you know it!" Merlin bites out. He is tired, wrung out on guilt- once again he almost let someone die because of the dragon (who frankly, Merlin suspects of just wanting Uther dead as vengeance for the genocide he perpetrated on the dragons).

He's angry, and tired, and guilty, and Arthur said something defending his father, as usual.

Because that's what Arthur does.

All the time.

And no matter what Gaius says, Arthur will be a better king in his worst hour than Uther is in his best.

Arthur's jaw clenches tight. "Get out, Merlin." His shoulders are bunched, and he's leaning against that stupid chair, backlit by the roaring fire, and the last time he looked like this he pulled his sword on Merlin.

But Merlin has never been entirely clever (as Arthur is usually the first to point out).

"He threw Morgana in the dungeons for it!" he persists. They'd all seen the marks around Morgana's wrists, the way she'd avoided Arthur's gaze, almost guiltily. As though she was embarassed by something, which had to infuriate her, for as bad as Arthur's pride was, Morgana's was a million times worse.

"I didn't give that order!" Arthur snaps. "And I told you to get out!"

"They're _your_ men- " Merlin starts, and then finds himself halfway across the room, with the back of his head connecting sickeningly against the wall. At first he thinks it's like Sofia and Alfrac- someone has his staff and just hit him with it, except no. It's Arthur, furious and human - just faster than the devil and stronger than Goliath.

Arthur's hands in Merlin's tunic, Merlin's toes scraping the floor, and they're sharing the same air to breath in and Arthur's pupils are blown wide with-

"I told you to get out," Arthur reminds him, and if he were Uther it would be a roar, but it's Arthur so it's a gritted rumble low in his chest that Merlin is close enough to feel as much as he can hear it.

And Merlin isn't afraid of Arthur. He trusts him with his life. He honestly believes Arthur would never deliberately cause him pain (okay, outside of slamming him against walls and hitting him upside the head and banging on him during practice), but Merlin has to get away _now_. Right now, this very instant, because Arthur is right here and very strong and oh god, if he moves any closer he is going to feel _exactly_ what this is doing to Merlin and oh yes, there it goes.

Merlin closes his eyes and waits for the real violence, or at least the sneering mockery to start, but suddenly a pair of fiercely hot lips are slanting over his own.

Merlin has had…well, over a dozen kisses, from three people. One was Hinda, a girl two years older than he who he'd first taken a shine to when he was 13 and she was 15. Her kisses had been impatient, and a little sour. Then there'd been Beryth, who'd been sweet and a year younger than Merlin, and her kisses had been soft and warm. Then there'd been Will, whose kisses had been laughing and awkward and fumbling.

None of those kisses could have prepared him for this. For the way Arthur licked his bottom lip and then sucked it into his mouth, letting it slide out between his teeth before kissing his way into Merlin's mouth. Merlin feels like a city Arthur is laying seige to and knows that resistance is not only futile, it's just plain stupid, and so he opens up, awkwardly kisses back, brings his palms to Arthur's broad shoulders and tilts his face up into the kisses, still pressed hard against the wall.

Arthur makes a low sound somewhere deep in his chest and he lets go of Merlin's tunic, brings one hand up to cup the back of Merlin's head and braces his other hand next to Merlin's head on the wall and Merlin whimpers a little because this is Arthur, right _here_

After an age Arthur pulls back, licks his red lips and stares at Merlin's. Merlin gasps for breath, still holding onto Arthur, and Arthur smiles slightly. He bites lightly at Merlin's chin and then his lips are there again, devouring Merlin, one big hand knotted in the back of Merlin's short hair, cupping his skull and then there is fumbling for clothes.

Then Arthur's gone, and Merlin stumbles before he catches his footing again.

"Get out of that," Arthur commands, and okay, there is a royal edict Merlin is _thrilled_ to obey as he lets go of Arthur to shimmy out of his clothes, watching Arthur shrugging out of his shirt and pulling off his boots and then his trousers- and of course Arthur isn't the least bit self-conscious about being naked as he settles back on his bed.

Of course, if Merlin looked like that, he wouldn't be self-conscious about it either, because Arthur is just…

Gorgeous.

"_Mer_lin," Arthur almost sighs, and Merlin realizes he's staring.

"Yes, what?" he asks, guiltily, and then backs up as Arthur advances, backs up until his knees hit the back of the bed and he falls onto it because he's completely distracted by Arthur's cock, hard and red and Merlin's mouth actually waters. He grins slightly as Arthur crawls over him on the bed, because it's Arthur, and Arthur smiles back and then bends his head to capture Merlin's lips in a long, soul-searing kiss that leaves Merlin trembling from his head to his toes.

Arthur tumbles Merlin- does something tricky and Merlin's head hits the pillows and Arthur's mouth is just everywhere. Stinging bites along Merlin's collar-bone that he soothes with languid licks, rolling his hips against Merlin's until Merlin cannot see straight.

Can't say anything except, "Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur."

He misses the moment when Arthur stills and shudders, too lost in coming himself, but then Arthur is collapsed on him, breath hot and heavy against Merlin's chest and shoulder.

Merlin tugs at his hair, drags him up for a kiss.

It was Gwen's father. It was Gwen's father, and it was Uther.

It was Arthur being caught between the only family he knows, and Merlin being terrified for a moment at the lengths he's willing to go to.

The dragon says that he's to help Arthur, but Merlin is suddenly terrified of making a misstep because he cannot distinguish what is right and what should be.

Gwen will not always be there. He will not always be able to ask her questions and hope she's shattered enough not to pry too deeply, and he needs Arthur.

Needs him to reign him in.

Needs him to pull rank.


End file.
